1985 Johnson 30 HP Shift Lever Stuck

[Brion]

Hey everyone, i'm having a odd problem. I have 1985 Johnson 30 hp J30RCOA. It is tiller steer, and lever shift on the side. Pretty standard set up. My issue is, the plunger on the gear shift sticks and for the life of me i cannot get it to work. I dont think its in the gear box because if i lift the shift plunger with my finger just a hair, it shifts fine through all the gears. If i let the plunger go, i can shift from neutral to revers and back and it grabs each time. If i shift to forward i can't go back unless i pull the plunger up. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks for your time